Virginia law requires motorcycle operators and passengers to wear an approved helmet. One out of every five motorcycle crashes reported results in head or neck injuries, the worst type of injuries you can get. Although a helmet neither increases nor reduces your risk of neck injury, wearing a securely fastened helmet is the most important thing you can do to improve your chances of surviving a crash.
Consider the Facts:
- An approved helmet lets you see as far to the sides as necessary. A study of more than 900 motorcycle accidents, where 40% of the riders wore helmets, failed to find even one case in which a helmet kept a rider from spotting danger.
- Most crashes happen on short trips (less than five miles long), just a few minutes after starting out.
- Even low-speed crashes can be fatal. Most riders are going slower than 30 mph when they get injured. At these speeds, helmets can reduce both the number and the severity of head injuries by half.
- No matter what the speed, unhelmeted riders are three times more likely to die from head injuries than are riders who are wearing helmets at the time of the crash.